East African halophytics

WWF Abstract

If you were to descend into the eastern arm of the Rift Valley in Kenya and Tanzania, you might assume that this dry landscape would support little life. Yet this area includes extraordinary saline (salty) lakes that are home to endemic, salt-tolerant fish and provide important habitat for migratory and breeding birds. These are seasonal saline wetlands--and when it rains the dry "pan" landscape transforms into shallow lakes filled with specialized algae, invertebrates, and fish that are patrolled by waterfowl such as flamingos and ducks.Read more: View WWF Report